Lower Nihotupu Reservoir

The Lower Nihotupu Reservoir (or Lower Nihotupu Dam) is one of five reservoirs in the Waitākere Ranges that supply water to Auckland. Built between 1945 and 1948,[2] the reservoir covers an area of 52.9 hectares and has a capacity of 4.6 million cubic metres.[1] The reservoir is managed by Watercare Services, a council-owned company.

Lower Nihotupu Reservoir
Looking south, the reservoir from the Rainforest Express bush tram line.
Lower Nihotupu Reservoir
Location	Auckland, North Island
Coordinates	36°57′32″S 174°36′48″E
Type	Reservoir
Basin countries	New Zealand
Surface area	52.9 ha (131 acres)[1]
Water volume	4.60×10^6–4.81×10^6 m3 (3,730–3,900 acre⋅ft)[2][1]

The dam is credited as one of the first applied examples of the soil mechanics science in New Zealand, and was soon followed by the creating of engineering geology as a major subject at the University of Auckland Faculty of Engineering.[2]

Underneath the reservoir is Paruroa, the site of the main base of the Te Taoū hapū of Ngāti Whātua, who were warring with Te Waiohua, the dominant force in Tāmaki Makaurau in the early 18th Century.[3][4] Years of conflict culminated in the early 1740s, when Kiwi Tāmaki, the ariki of Waiohua, was defeated at Paruroa, leading to Ngāti Whātua becoming the main political force on Tāmaki Makaurau.[3][4]